Synopsis The TAN 1 departed the pontoons of the pilot station at Les Escoumins, Quebec, at approximately 1715 on 11 August 1993 on a whale-watching cruise in fog and restricted visibility with the owner/operator and 12 passengers on board. Shortly thereafter, the operator became disoriented, and the boat ran aground on a large rock of the Grande Batture near Les Escoumins. The Board determined that the TAN 1 departed on a cruise to watch sea mammals in restricted visibility with inadequate safety equipment and without having on board the navigational instruments necessary for a safe cruise. 1.0 Factual Information 1.1 Particulars of the Vessel 1.1.1 Description of the Vessel The TAN 1 is an open boat constructed of a sandwich of fibreglass over a balsa wood core. The steering position and the control console are located aft. This boat, which does not carry more than 12 passengers, is used mainly in the summer for whale-watching cruises in the vicinity of Les Escoumins. 1.2 History of the Voyage The TAN 1 departed Anse aux Basques at approximately 17153 on 11 August 1993 on a whale-watching cruise. The owner/operator and 12 passengers were on board. Another Zodiac-type boat, the TAN 2, also departed on a whale-watching cruise at the same time. The two boats headed a few miles off Anse aux Basques in fog and then made for the lets Boiss lying to the east of Les Escoumins. This area is known to be a good place for whale-watching. However, the visibility reportedly deteriorated in the ever-thickening fog. At 2008, the operator of the radarless TAN 2 reported to the Vessel Traffic Centre (VTC) Les Escoumins that he was no longer able to find his bearings because of the fog. The TAN 2 was not equipped with any navigational instruments that could have been used to determine her position. At about 2045, the ferry HERITAGE NO. 1, which was in the approaches to Les Escoumins, was able to pick up the TAN 2 on her radar screen and guide her to the landing stage at the Les Escoumins wharf. At almost the same time, the TAN 1 reported to VTC Les Escoumins that she was grounded on a rock of the Grande Batture with 12 passengers on board and required assistance. Communication between the VTC and the TAN 1 was cut off at 2052 because of a failure of the radio set on the TAN 1. At 2056, the VTC informed the Marine Rescue Subcentre (MRSC) Quebec that a boat belonging to the TAN company was grounded east of Pointe de la Croix, and that radio contact with that vessel had been lost. Visibility in the vicinity of Les Escoumins was reported to be zero at the time. The MRSC dispatched the CCGS LE ROUGE, moored at Tadoussac, Quebec, at 2203, and the pilot boat ABRAHAM MARTIN, which was at Anse aux Basques, was dispatched at 2215 to begin searching for the TAN 1 grounded with 13 persons on board. At 2309, the ABRAHAM MARTIN was able with some difficulty to pick up the TAN 1 on her radar screen. Meanwhile, the TAN 1, which had managed to free herself on the rising tide, lay at anchor waiting for assistance. When the ABRAHAM MARTIN arrived on the scene, she took the TAN 1 in charge and escorted her to Anse aux Basques where the passengers landed safe and sound at about 2335. One of the propeller blades of the ABRAHAM MARTIN was damaged during the rescue operations. 1.3 Injuries 1.4 Vessel Certification and Equipment Marine surveyors of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) had boarded and inspected the TAN 1 on 23 July 1993, and the owner had been issued a list of equipment that did not comply with the regulations or was missing altogether. The list included the following equipment and certificates: radio station licence; radiotelephone operator's certificate; radio inspection certificate; standard lifejackets; radar reflector; and an extinguisher of adequate capacity. 1.4.1 Operator's Certification and History The operator of the TAN 1 is a retired architect who holds a licence to drive motorized pleasure craft at sea issued at Nmes, France, in 1966. He has been the owner/operator of the TAN 1 since 1991 and has organized whale-watching cruises in the vicinity of Les Escoumins since 1988. 1.5 Radio Communications The sequence of events started with the operator of the TAN 2 calling VTC Les Escoumins on channel 9 of his very high frequency (VHF) radio at about 2008 to ask whether the station could detect the TAN 2 on its radars because the operator was disoriented; the station could not. While the ferry HERITAGE NO. 1 was heading for Les Escoumins, she made radio contact with the TAN 2; the operator of the boat informed the ferry that he could hear her fog whistle. At approximately 2025, when the ferry was some two miles from the wharf, she detected a weak target on her radar screen, 0.75 mile distant, ahead of her. The target was subsequently identified as the TAN 2. After making visual contact with the TAN 2, the ferry escorted the boat to the Les Escoumins wharf. While the TAN 2 was being rescued by the ferry, a waterfront resident on the les Penches was able to make out, in the fog, the shape of a boat heading west along the shore. As he thought that this was the boat being sought, he reported the particulars to the VTC. At the time, VTC Les Escoumins was unaware of the presence of another boat in the area. It was not realized until approximately 2045 that there was another boat which had grounded on a rock of the Grande Batture off the municipality of Les Escoumins with 12 passengers on board. 1.5.1 Vessel Traffic Centre (VTC) in Canadian Waters The regulations pertaining to Vessel Traffic Services Zones apply to any vessel 20 m or more in length. As the TAN 1 and the TAN 2 are less than 20 m long, they did not have to receive departure clearance from VTC Les Escoumins. Furthermore, the regulations do not require vessels of 20 m or less to report to VTC the number of persons or passengers on board; however, some small cruise vessels do so on a voluntary basis. When the two boats encountered difficulties, the VTC was unaware of their presence in the area and of their activities. 1.5.2 Radio Failure The TAN 1 only carried one portable 5 W VHF radio, and the radio failure is attributed to depleted batteries. 1.6 Grounding of the TAN 1 While the TAN 1 was in the vicinity of the lets Boiss, the fog became thicker. The operator therefore decided to return to his place of departure by following the shoreline closely at reduced speed. A resident of the les Penches who was listening to the VTC Les Escoumins frequency and was following the search for a vessel lost in fog noticed a boat heading west. He immediately reported his observations to the VTC, which confirmed the presence of the TAN 1. Meanwhile, the TAN 1 was approaching the Grande Batture at Les Escoumins at reduced speed while it was almost night. The lights of a motel were seen from the boat, and, to reassure the passengers, the operator sailed close to shore. The boat suddenly came to a complete stop on a rock of the Grande Batture. At 2045, the passengers insisted that the operator report the grounding of his boat to the VTC. As the tide was rising, the boat refloated by herself, and the operator dropped anchor to wait for assistance. 1.7 The Grande Batture at Les Escoumins The Grande Batture, lying between Pointe de la Croix and the les Penches, dries off completely at low tide. The bottom consists of sand and mud studded with large rocks that are covered and uncovered with the tides. 1.8 Tides When the TAN 1 grounded on a rock of the Grande Batture, the tide was rising, and high tide was predicted for 2120 on 11 August 1993. 1.9 Search and Rescue The TAN 1 reported being grounded to VTC Les Escoumins at 2045 and, at 2056, MRSC Quebec was informed that a boat was grounded east of Pointe de la Croix, and that visibility was almost zero. The assistant coordinator at the MRSC received the call and initiated preliminary emergency measures during the first 30 minutes. His primary function is to determine the level of emergency and to confirm the information received to ensure effective implementation of emergency measures. In this occurrence, there was uncertainty as to the geographic location concerned, because there are two places called Pointe de la Croix; one in the vicinity of Baie-Comeau, Quebec, and the other in the approaches to Les Escoumins. When the MRSC was informed of the incident, the position of the boat was given as east of Pointe de la Croix, without any further details. Furthermore, it was not clear if the boat involved was the TAN 1 or the TAN 2 and exactly how many persons were in danger. As a result, the rescue operations were delayed and about one hour passed before the CCGS LE ROUGE based at Tadoussac and the ABRAHAM MARTIN based at Les Escoumins could be dispatched to the scene.